Picker stick



Patented Apr. 7, 19225.

STATE-s PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL A. KEA'I'ING, OF BRIDGEEORT, AND BT-ATEM, OF PU-TNALI, GONNEQTI-CUT, ASSIGNORS OFONE-HALF TO THE AMERICAN TUBE & STAMPING- COMPANY, OEBBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A COELPURATION F CONNECTICUT, AND ONE-HALF TOJAMES B. TATEIVE, DOING BUSINESS AS JAZE'ES B. TATEM & SON, OF PUTN AM,

CONNECTICUT.

flris nal app fil d m To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DA IEL A liEATlNG and James B. TATEM, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Bridgeport and Putnam,

5 respectively, in the counties of Fairfield and TWindham, respectively,and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Picker Sticks, of which the following is aspecification. 7

This case is a division of application No. 720,954. i

This invention relates to an improved construction of combination woodand metal picker stick of the type employed to drive the shuttle acrossa loom; and the object of this invention is the provision of a pickerstick of this character having its upper end portion of wood and itslower end portion of metal, the metal being primarily for the purpose ofstrengthening that portion of the stick which ordinarily breaks first,while the' upper or wooden portion is forthe purpose of providing theflexibility required in a picker stick.

A further object of this invention is to provide the lower portion ofthe stick of metal formed into channel shape, the upper end of thismetal portion being shaped to receive the lower end of the wooden upperportion and support its front and rear edges against the hammeringshocks of the shuttle.

The invention further consists in the provision of a stiffening memberwhich may be 5 formed integral with the lower end of the metal portionand shaped to provide proper bearings for the pivot pin when the stickis designed to be oscillated on a pivot or bolt.

.Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing our improved construction of pickerstick, the

BECKER STICK.

19,242, semi No. 720,9541. Divided and, this application filed Pecanber27, 1924. Serial No. 758,337.

upper portion being wood and its lower portion metal in channel form.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of our im proved construction of pickerstick.

, Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional end View of the pivoted end ofthestick on line 3- .3 of Figure 1. I l

Figure 4 is a sectional end view vof the stick on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view showing one shapeof lower end of the metal channelmember as cut from sheet stock before being folded.

It is found in thejpra ctical construction and operation of pickersticks that, when made entirely of wood, theiroperating life, owing tothe severe hammering strains to which they, are subjected, is veryshort, and it is also found of advantage to strengthen the lower portionof the picker stick to prevent excessively rapid deterioration. It isalso found necessary in the construction of picker sticksto provide acertain degree lot resiliency which has heretofore been found in theusual picker stick of hickory. There fore, in order to obtain at once,the required strength and also the yieldability, we have formed a pickerstick having its upper portion of wood where the greatest resiliency isrequired, and its lower portion of metal where its greatest strength isrequired. By this construction, when one portion of the stick isdestroyed a fresh part may replace the broken one and connected to theunbroken portionv and the following is a detailed description of oneembodiment of our invention by which these advantageous results may beobtained lVith reference to the drawings, 10 designates the upperportion of our improved construction of picker stick, which is formed ofwood, usually hickory, the same being preferably rectangular in crosssection, larger at its lower end 11 and tapering towards its upper end12.

This wooden portion is preferably formed of a length substantially onehaliof the entire stick but we do not wish to be limited to anyparticular proportions as its length may be of any desired proportion ofthe whole length of the stick. The lower member of our improved pickerstick is herein shown as being in channel form as at 13, the bodyportion of the channel member being preferably left open. Thischannel-shaped member may be formed in any desired manner, of anydesired material and of any desired shape in cross section, but wepreferably form the same of sheet metal and fold this metal to provideone side wall 14, a rear wall or flange 15, and a front wall or flange16.

The upper end of this channel member is preferably formed so that itswalls will receive and embrace the lower end 11 of the wood, and thefront and rear walls 15 and 16, respectively, are arranged to provide asubstantial backing to both the front and rear edges of the wood tosupport the same while acting upon the shuttle. This stick is preferablysecured in the upper end of the channel member by. means of bolts orrivets 17 When this picker stick is designed to be mounted upon a pivotpin, we preferably reenforce its lower end in various ways to receiveand support the pivot pin on which it is designed to oscillate.

Our preferred method of constructing this additional bearing portion isby providing 3 an elongated integral tongue member 24 on the end of theside wall 14 and folding this tongue first laterally to provide an endwall 25 and then longitudinally of the channel to provide an oppositewall 26 which portion is adapted to set in between the front and rearedge walls 15 and 16 of the main channel member and these side walls 14and 26 may be then pierced as at 29 and the stock about the piercingturned inwardly as at 30 to provide extending bearings for the pivot DWe do not wish to be limited to forming the foldable portion in the endof the side wall of the channel member, as this foldable portion may beformed in the edge of either the flanges 15 or 16, if desired, asillustrated at 81 in dotted lines in Figure 5 of the drawings, therebyproviding an integral portion of the channel member adjacent its endadapted to be folded to form a short bearing side adapted to be piercedto provide a double bearing for the pivot pin on which the stick mayswing.

e do not wish to be limited to mounting our improved picker stick tooscillate upon a pivot pin as other suitable means for supporting thelower end may be employed.

A picker stick of our improved construction is very simple and practicalto manufacture, is effective in its operation and its working life overthat of the usual all-wood picker stick is greatly extended and at thesame time it provides the required resiliency for receiving the shocksand effecting the throw of the shuttle.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the constructionillustrated, but we desire it to be understood that we reserve theprivilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the deviceis susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by theterms of the appended claims. p 7

lVe claim:

1. A picker stick having its upper portion of wood and its lower portionof a single piece of metal channel-shaped in cross section and havingits lower portion folded to provide opposite spaced-apart integral sidewalls.

2. A picker stick having its upper portion of wood and its lower portionof a single piece of metal channel form in cross section and having anintegral portion adjacent its lower end folded to cover the channel fora short distance and provide spaced-apart double bearing side walls.

3. A picker stick having its upper portion of wood and its lower portionformed of a single piece of sheet metal with its body portion foldedinto channel form and its lower end portion folded to have spacedapartoppositely disposed side walls and edge walls. 4. A picker stick havingits upper portion of wood and its lower portion formed of a single pieceof sheet metal with its body portion folded into channel form and itslower end portion folded to have spaced-apart oppositely disposed sidewalls and edge walls and an end wall. V

5. A picker stick having its upper portion of wood and its lower portionof metal channel-shaped in cross section, a tongue portion integral withthe lower end of the side wall portion of said channel member folded toform an end wall and a short opposite side wall portion.

6. A picker stick having its upper portion of wood and its lower portionof metal channel-shaped in cross section, a tongue portion integral withthe lower end of the side wall portion of said channel member folded toform an end wall and a short opposite side wall portion, said oppositeside walls being pierced to receive and provide a bearing for a pivotpin.

7. A picker stick having substantially its upper half of wood and itslower half of a single piece of sheet metal having its body portionfolded into channel form and shaped at its upper end to closely embracethe lower end of the wooden portion, and its lower end.

having a portion folded to form a short opposite side wall.

8. A picker stick having substantially its opposite side well, both ofthe side Walls 7 upper half of Wood and its lower half of a havingcooperating pivot pin receiving holes single piece of sheet metal havingits body With extended bearing portions. portion folded into channelform and shaped In testimony whereof We affix our signa- 5 at its upperend to closely embrace the lower tures.

DANIEL A. KEATING.

end of the Wooden portion, and its lower end having a portion folded toform a short JAMES B. TATEM.

